Chapter 357 – Japan Sinking? (6)
The following morning, Han-Yeol boarded his private jet and flew to Geoje Island, following the instructions in the email. As soon as he landed at the naval base there, he was greeted by someone.
Chwak!
A soldier, at least in his fifties and donning a white uniform, greeted him with a salute.
Despite someone old enough to be his father saluting him, Han-Yeol's expression remained unchanged. In fact, he found it normal for the older soldier to greet him in such a manner.
“Hello, Lee Han-Yeol-nim. I am Commodore Lee Chung-Hee, and I will be commanding the vessel you will be boarding.”
“Huh? You will be commanding the amphibious assault ship?”
“Yes, is there a problem...?”
Gulp!
A commodore held considerable authority in the military. One star—a one-star general—usually stood like a lion, fearless. But in front of Han-Yeol, even a commodore like Lee Chung-Hee seemed more nervous than when facing three-star generals, four-star generals, or even the president.
Lee Chung-Hee, now seemingly a regular gentleman in naval uniform, felt far more anxious than during encounters with high-ranking officials. He couldn't shake off nerves due to the numerous stories circulating about Han-Yeol's personality.
Most of these tales were likely unfounded rumors borne out of jealousy toward Han-Yeol, but Lee Chung-Hee remained unaware of their lack of credibility.
‘I’ll lose my job if I make a mistake!’
The infamous story of a captain being stripped of rank and court-martialed because of Han-Yeol was widely known.
“Amphibious assault ships are typically commanded by field officers, but you are a general...?”
“Ah...”
‘Phew... That scared me...’
Commodore Lee Chung-Hee sighed in relief upon realizing that Han-Yeol's question was something anyone with basic military knowledge would ask.
“Ah, I was a colonel until recently, but I got promoted to my current rank upon hearing that you would be boarding my vessel. Well, I was due for a promotion anyway, so the process was simply expedited. This will be my last mission commanding this vessel as I'll be passing command to my junior afterward.”
“I see.” Han-Yeol nodded, his curiosity satisfied.
Commodore Lee Chung-Hee smiled and gestured. “Please, come right this—Heok!”
Initially tense to avoid any mistakes with Han-Yeol, he soon realized Han-Yeol was just a normal twenty-something man, young enough to be his son. Finally relaxed, he began to escort Han-Yeol to the vessel when he glanced behind Han-Yeol.
Grrrr...!
“Hiiik!”
Dozens of beasts and monsters lined up behind Han-Yeol. Though it was known these beasts, walking on their hind legs like humans, were Han-Yeol’s subordinates, witnessing their overwhelmingly monstrous aura was quite different.
“T-Those...!”
“Kandir, relax.”
[Hmph!] Kandir scoffed at Han-Yeol’s words, expressing his displeasure with the situation.
“Haa... Haa... Haa...” Commodore Lee Chung-Hee collected himself, trying to calm down, then turned to glare at his subordinates for failing to inform him of the beasts' presence.
The sailors felt unjustly accused, as they believed their commander shouldn't have missed the beasts’ noticeable presence.
‘Hey... Why are you blaming us...?’
Yes, they felt wronged, but rank was everything in the military, leaving them no recourse. They knew speaking up now would result in facing Lee Chung-Hee’s wrath.
“A-Are all of them coming with us...?”
“Of course, these brave warriors are my subordinates and will be the ones combating the monsters in Japan. Haha!”
Han-Yeol appeared relaxed, unlike the frozen sailors, strolling about as if on a leisurely outing.
If he were alone, he would have flown to Japan with Mavros, knowing flying would be quicker than sailing. However, with the Bastro Warriors and the Gurkha raid party needing training and experience, he requested the Ministry of Defense to prepare an amphibious assault ship to transport them.
Initially, the Ministry of Defense suspected Han-Yeol of trying to extort the ship due to his poor reputation within the ministry.
“Ah, I understand... P-Please, this way...”
“Okay.”
Han-Yeol, the three hundred Gurkha raid members, and the one thousand Bastro Warriors boarded the ship, setting sail for Japan after all were on board.
Thirty minutes into the journey, Han-Yeol stood on the deck, scanning the horizon. Ironically, emergency alarms blared across the ship as he stepped out.
Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!
The sailors swiftly assumed their positions.
[An unidentified flying object is approaching from five o’clock!]
‘Hmm?’ Han-Yeol found it absurd that an unidentified object was already approaching barely an hour after they set sail.
It highlighted the incompetence of the government, especially as they were only thirty minutes from Busan, not even out in open waters.
‘Tsk tsk...’ Han-Yeol clicked his tongue, observing the government and military officials' ineptitude in serving their own interests.
Deciding to use Demon Eyes to inspect the situation, Han-Yeol infused mana into his eyes.
‘But what could that be...? Hmm? What?!’
It turned out the unidentified flying object wasn't alone, and he identified what these objects were.
‘Tayarana and Mariam...?’
The unidentified flying objects turned out to be Tayarana in her Horus Suit and Mariam, carried by her Queen’s Guards soldier ants.
“Commodore Lee!”
“Y-Yes, Han-Yeol-nim!”
Although the commander should have been on the bridge in such situations, he opted to remain close to Han-Yeol. Temporarily handing command to the vice commander, he joined Han-Yeol on the deck.
“They are our allies, so you can disengage the alarms now.”
“Huh...? Ah, yes, Han-Yeol-nim!” Commodore Lee Chung-Hee, displaying exemplary adaptability, promptly obeyed Han-Yeol’s directive, despite not fully comprehending the situation. “They are our allies! Disengage the alarms!”
“Yes, sir!”
The sailors sighed in relief, hearing it was their ally approaching. Their amphibious assault ship was ill-equipped to handle fighter jets or monsters, though they overlooked the presence of the world's most powerful Hunter, Lee Han-Yeol, aboard.
Tayarana and Mariam landed on the ship's deck.
Tak!
Tayarana landed on one knee, reminiscent of a certain armored flying superhero from a movie.
“That’s quite the flashy entrance, Tayarana,” Han-Yeol greeted her.
“Did you really try to leave without me, you meanie...”
However, Tayarana, appearing upset, wasn't in the mood for pleasantries or jokes.
“Hahaha... Who didn’t pick up their phone? Was it me?” Han-Yeol forced a smile, gritting his teeth.
Seuk...
Both Tayarana and Mariam avoided Han-Yeol’s eyes, realizing it was their fault.
Afterward, with Tayarana and Mariam joining them on the ship, the group was complete.
‘Hmm... but why does it feel like I’m forgetting something...?’ Han-Yeol wondered on his way to the bridge.
It felt akin to forgetting to turn off the gas stove before leaving home, but he dismissed it, trusting Albert and the maids to manage things.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion...
“Hyung-nim?”
Mujahid visited Han-Yeol's mansion but couldn't locate him, no matter where he searched.
“Albert.”
“Yes, Prince Mujahid? How may I assist you?”
“Where is hyung-nim?”
“Han-Yeol-nim has been requested to lead the rescue operations in Japan. He left a while back. Weren't you supposed to be with him?”
“What...?”
Mujahid felt flustered.
‘Did he abandon me...? He really abandoned me?!’
Mujahid couldn't help but despise Han-Yeol at that moment.
Despite Mujahid's persistent requests to hunt together, Han-Yeol always offered excuses of being busy or tired. Mujahid couldn't believe Han-Yeol didn't invite him when the opportunity finally arose, causing him immense sadness and disappointment.
“Hyung-nim!”
Mujahid's scream echoed throughout the mansion. Later rumors were exaggerated, claiming the scream reached Seoul, though it was purely speculative.
Meanwhile, at the briefing on the bridge, Han-Yeol casually picked his ear.
“What’s wrong?” Tayarana asked, puzzled.
“Ah, it’s nothing. My ear suddenly got itchy... I wonder if someone’s talking about me?”
“Maybe it’s the government or the association.”
“Yeah, perhaps.”
Han-Yeol had many enemies, so it wouldn't be surprising if someone was speaking ill of him. However, it was the first time his ear itched due to such gossip.
‘Is someone casting a curse on me...?’
Considering the oddity of his ear itching and some Hunters known for black magic abilities, it wasn't unreasonable for Han-Yeol to entertain such thoughts. While no curse could truly affect him, the itching might have been a byproduct of repelling a supposed curse.
‘Nah, no way.’
Han-Yeol continued to pick his ear until the itch subsided, allowing him to finally concentrate on the briefing. It was crucial to focus since this operation wasn't going to be simple or relaxed.
“Craspio has halted at Kyoto.”
‘Kyoto...’
Han-Yeol fixed his attention on the map displayed on the screen. Despite Craspio being in Kyoto, that wasn't their intended destination.
“The area we'll be securing is here, Nagoya.”
“Nagoya?”
“Yes.”
Beep!
Commodore Lee Chung-Hee activated the remote, zooming the map into Nagoya.
“This is Nagoya.”
“Commodore Lee.”
“Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?”
“What about the people living in Nagoya? Have they all evacuated?”
Nagoya, a bustling port city and Japan's fourth-largest in terms of population, was also a popular tourist destination. Despite not being the capital, it boasted two airports. The city's fall to monsters highlighted the severity of Japan’s crisis, all caused by the sudden appearance of a single monster—Craspio.
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